Study Group 3

Tom Icklan

February

Title:"Craftsman"

As many of you commented last month the image was over brightened in many areas using the ACR brush to lighten selected parts of the picture. You also noted my intention was to demonstrate a technique and therefore things were exaggerated to make a point, and this is true. The lighting in "Craftsman" was also adjusted in the same way but care was taken to not over due the effect. Attention was paid to the face and foreground which were in shadow. I am sure you would agree that over doing any filtering can be disastrous. One of the more popular commercial products is Topaz Simplify which I use often to cut down on processing time. All of the results can be duplicated using PS except one (at least I haven't figured it out) and of course I need your opinion as to whether or not I was too heavy handed. Please look closely at the arm and forehead of the subject. The filter produces a "curly" effect which can be very dynamic in the right type of image. I cut back a lot on this but perhaps it should not be used at all in an informal portrait. What do you think?

Comments

Maria Korab-Laskowska	I like the image a lot. Texture, tones are great. Your post processing gives some different feeling which I like. Composition and model’s focus on work is very good.
Tom Icklan (postcomment space)
Fred Kuhns	For me this image is perfection, but I should explain. I don’t think the image “looks” like a traditional photograph; rather it looks like a very realistic drawing. So if that was your intent then you nailed it. The “curly” effect adds interest and is not overdone (but any more would be too much). I find the overall tone, hue, composition, background … well everything … to be interesting, pleasing and just fun to look at. The man is of course interesting but so is the foreground table with all of the tools, wood chips etc. Likewise the background offers plenty of visual delight just looking around at the texture and patterns. But even though there are 3 strong visual elements the fact that the man is actively working at his craft gives him sufficient interest and visual pull to dominate the image (thus keeping it from becoming confusing). Two thumbs up Tom.
Annette Chiu	The color saturation of the craftsman is good. Your technique is over my head as I have not done PS for years. Like your framing and the concentration of the craftsman.
Kieu-Hanh Vu
Linda Phelps	This is an improvement over the other submission. I like the color tone on the face. My personal take on the arm is that it is slightly too dark. It does fit in with the processing affect. This may make it acceptable as it is. The processing works nicely on the wood pieces. I love the composition
Rawligh Sybrant	I love the effect you achieved - this looks like an excellent drawing done with colored pencil. The subject, composition and lighting are great. The "curly" effect is barely noticeable at the displayed size, but I think if the image were enlarged it would detract. Great!!!

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